According to BPS officials, 21 students were absent on Wednesday. On Tuesday, 26 students were out. The district says 19 students have been out for 2 or more days in a row. Three have been out all week. Because it is an unusually high number of students, the school sent a letter home to parents.

“They sent a letter explaining what the virus is and what to look for and then warned us not to send our child to school,” Byttebir told necn’s Jason Frazer.

In response to the abnormal number of children absent, the district told necn in a statement “the BPS facilities department has conducted thorough cleanings of the school on multiple occasions this week to prevent the transmission of illnesses.”